Motorized surfboard control



June 23, 1959 v. 1.. PERRY MOTORIZED SURFBOARD CONTROL Filed. Nov. 21,1956 INVENTOR. VERNoN L. PERRY' BY wuaamm,s mwb,

add/nut a HTTOPNE Y5 United States atent Patented June 23, 1959 FleeMOTORIZED SURFBOARD CONTROL Vernon L. Perry, St. Paul, Minn.

Application November 21, 1956, Serial No. 623,638

4 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) This invention relates to a motorized surfboard andmore particularly to a control assembly therefor.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and simple motorizedsurfboard structure which will be capable of supporting a user andrequire skill in operating. and maneuvering the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a surfboard of thecharacter described which is capable of complete control with two handlines which also provide means for maintaining the balance of the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of pull lineswith differential leverage and a motor mounting so inter-related in themotorized surfboard structure as to make possible simultaneous steeringand controlling of speed by merely pulling on the lines.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description, made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the several views and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my entire surfboard device;

Figure 2 is a top View of the device, certain hidden portions beingshown in dotted line;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the surfboardat the enlarged forward end thereof taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,portions of the parts being shown in full line representation and othersin dotted. line;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic representation of the control means, thegeneral configuration of the motor housing being shown in dotted lineand the layout thereof being viewed in the direction of the arrows 44 ofFig ure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top view of the throttle actuator taken ontheline .5.--5. and looking in the direction of the arrows as shown inFigure 3.

With continued reference to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows my entiremotorized surfboard which has generally a flat elongated floating bodywith a rear platform 11 adapted to carry a user in supported relationthereon and so angulated that the user may be supported in standing,sitting or prone position. Also a partof the elongated floating body isa forward chamber portion 12 adapted to retain in enclosed relation themotor 13. Motor 13 may be of the internal combustion type somewhatsimilar in construction to the conventional outboard motor. The forwardchamber 12 is rigidly attached to the rearward platform 11 and may befurther sup ported by a frame structure 14 in such a manner as willcooperatively provide a railing or hand grip at each side of thesurfboard. The design of the surfboard is such as to maintain properangulation and contact with the surface of water during use with aperson supported on the platform in the manner described.

Motor 13 extends downwardly through the bottom of the chamber portion 12so as to depend therefrom and be submerged in water during use. Thelower portion of the motor 13 constitutes a rigidly connected drivehousing 15 which terminates in a propeller housing 16, as shown in Figs.1 and 3.. The drive housing 15 is provided with a rearwardly extendingrudder 17 which assists in steering and directing the surfboard duringuse.

The motor mount is shown generally at 18 and comprises a stem or tube 19which interconnects the upper portion of motor 13 with the drive housing15 and surrounds the motor drive shaft 20 which, in turn, is driv ablyinterconnected with the rearwardly facing propeller 21. Secured to theinner floor 22 of the chamber .12 is an upstanding stem housing 23 whichis provided at its upper end with a thrust bearing surface 24 and aninner circular bearing surface 25, both of which are adapted to contactthe shouldered upper end 26 of the stem 19, as shown in Fig. 3. Thelower end of the stem 19 has an annular flanged plate 27 keyed theretoby key 28 and providing bearing contact at 29 with the lower flangedportion 30 of the stem housing 23. The flange portion 36 has an annularstep 31 formed therein to receive in bearing contact an annular wearring 32 which in turn is secured to the bottom of the flanged plate 27as by bolts 33. The upstanding stem housing may be secured inwater-tight relation at its lower flanged portion 30 to the chamberbottom 22 by means of fasteners such as bolts 34. The motor mount 18thus permits the entire motor 13 to be rotated on the motor axisextending coaxially through the stem 19. The rotary steering movementwill cause the rudder 17 and propeller 21 to be simultaneously rotatedto effect steering of the surfboard. i

As a part of the motor 13, the fuel throttle 35 has an arm 36 adaptedfor reciprocation in order to accelerate and decelerate the speed ofmotor 13. An. actuator for the throttle arm 36 is indicated generally at37 and comprises, inthe form shown, an actuating shaft 38 rotatablyreceived in the bearing brackets 39 which, in turn, are secured to themotor 13 by means of fasteners such as bolts 40. The actuating shaft38has at its upper end a radial arm 41 which is. pivotally connected torod 42 by means of pivot pin. 43 as shown in Fig. 3. Secured to thelower end of the actuating shaft 38 .is a reel 44-. A coiled spring 45is secured about the shaft 38 and fixed at its upper end 46 to the motor113 and fixed at its lower end 47 to' the reel 44,. The spring 45constantly urges the actuating shaft 38' and reel 44 in a d rectionwhich will. tend to close the arm 36 of throttle 35.

Line-guide means, indicated generally at 48, are employed to actuateboth the fuel throttle and the rotation of the motor for steering aswill be subsequently described. The line-guide means includes a pair ofidler pulleys 49 and 50 which are rotatably mounted on a flanged support51, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Also includedin the line-guide means isan idler pulley 52 which is rotatably mounted adjacent the reel 44 insuch a manner that the outer circumferencethereof will lie equidistantto the side of. the center line 53 of. motor 13 with the outercircumference of reel 44 and in opposed relation, as shown in Fig. 4. Astill further part of the line-guide means includes a pair of pulleys 54and 55 rotatably mounted on respective brackets 56 and 57 which, inturn, are mounted in opposed relation to the inside of the chamberportion 12 and in alignment with the pulleys 49 and 50. The pulleys 54and 55 lie equidistant from the center line 53 of motor 13 when it is inits normal aligned position with the longitudinal center line of theentire surfboard.

A pair of lines 58 and 59 are secured in opposed relation at 60 and 61respectively to the reel 44, as shown in Fig. 4. The lines 58 and 59 arethen wrapped in the same direction around reel 44 and extend outwardlytherefrom in a direction which tends to oppose the spring tension ofspring 45 and to open the throttle 35 when pulling force is exertedthereon. The line 59 is directed around the pulley 52 so as to giveequal torque application at each side of the reel 44 and thus minimizewear upon the shaft 38 and other moving parts associated therewith. Thelines 58 and 59 then extend forwardly about the respective pulleys 49and 50, then diverge to the respective idler pulleys 54 and 55. Lines 58and 59 then extend rearwardly and upwardly to pass through guideopenings 62 and 63 formed respectively at each side of the chamber 12,as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Lines 58 and 59 terminate at their upwardand rearward positions in handles 64 and 65, respectively, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

During the use and operation of my motorized surfboard, the userpositions himself on the platform 11 and grips the handle 64 in his lefthand and the handle '65 in his right hand. With the motor operating andthe surfboard on the surface of the water, the motor may be acceleratedby pulling rearwardly with even force on both of the lines 58 and 59.The greater the simultaneous pull, the faster the surfboard will travel.Now, however, when it is desired to turn the surfboard, one of thehandles is pulled rearwardly while the other is permitted to advanceforwardly without changing the total pulling force thereon. Thus, thesurfboard may be turned to the left or the right without accelerating ordecelerating. If desired, the surfboard can be accelerated ordecelerated during turning by manipulating the handles as notedpreviously and simultaneously increasing the total pulling force orreleasing it, as desired.

Still further, the surfboard may be maintained in a particular course,either straight ahead or in a curved path and without adjusting therelative position of handles 64 and 65, they may be pulled or releasedto accelerate or decelerate the surfboard.

The ability to independently steer and control the surfboard isdependent upon the greater torque force applied to rotation of theentire motor 13 on the axis of stem 19 rather than upon the rotation ofreel 44 against the force of spring 45. The axis of reel 44 may bepositioned eccentrically with respect to the motor axis to increase thetorque force applied to the motor as compared to that applied to thethrottle, or the strength of coil spring 45 may be such that the nettorque resistance of the throttle is greater than that of the motor.This difierence in applied force makes it possible to steer the motorindependently of actuating the fuel throttle.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportion of the parts withoutdeparting fromthe scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a motorized surfboard having a propeller-type motor rotatablymounted thereon, line-guide means secured radially outward of the axisof rotation of the motor, a fuel throttle having an actuator thereformounted on said motor and resiliently urged in a direction to close saidthrottle, a pair of lines secured to said actuator and extending in theopposed direction to throttle-closing direction for opening the throttleto predetermined set-- tings dependent upon the amount of pulling forceexerted upon said lines, said pair of lines being shiftably received inthe respective line-guide means and directed to opposite sides of themotor, and a handle secured to each line at its outer terminus, thetorque resistance of the throttle actw ator being greater than that ofthe motor, whereby said motor can be rotatably steered by exertingdifferential pulling force upon the handles and acceleratedindependently by exerting greater total pulling force upon the handles.v

2. in a motorized surfboard having a propeller-type motor rotatablymountedthereon, line-guide means secured radially outward of the axis ofrotation of the motor, a throttle actuating shaft having a reel securedaxially thereto, spring means constantly urging the reel and shaft in adirection of rotation to throttle-closing position, a pair of linessecured to said reel in radial relation with the axis of said shaft andextending in opposed direction to that for closing the throttle wherebyto open the throttle to predetermined settings dependent on the amountof pulling force exerted on said lines, said pair of lines beingshiftably received in the respective lineguide means at opposite sidesof the motor, and a handle secured to each of said lines at its outerterminus, the torque resistance of the throttle shaft being greater thanthat of the motor, whereby said motor can be rotatably steered byexerting dilferential pulling force upon the handles and acceleratedindependently by exerting greater total pulling force upon the handles.

3. The subject matter set forth in claim 2, wherein the axis of theactuating shaft is eccentrically positioned with respect to that of themotor axis and the radial distance from the motor axis to the line-guidemeans is greater than that from the point of line attachment to the axisof said actuating shaft so as to apply greater turning torque to themotor than to the throttle shaft.

4. In a motorized surfboard having a propeller-type motor rotatablymounted thereon, a pair of pulleys secured at equal distances in opposedrelation to the central plane intersecting the axis of rotation of saidmotor, a fuel throttle having an actuator therefor mounted on said motorand resiliently urged in a direction to close said throttle, a pair oflines secured to said actuator and extending in the opposed direction tothrottle-closing direction for opening the throttle to predeterminedsettings, depending on the amount of pulling force exerted on saidlines, said pair of lines being shiftably received in the repectiveopposed pulleys, said lines extending first in a forward direction fromthe actuator to said pulleys then upwardly and rearwardly, and a handlesecured to each of said lines at its upper and rearward terminus, thetorque resistance of the throttle actuator being greater than that ofthe motor, whereby said motor can be rotatably steered by exertingdifferential pulling force upon the handles and acceleratedindependently by exerting a greater total pulling force upon thehandles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

